More on Buffett's Railroad Deal

Compare Burlington Northern Santa Fe's route map with the map of proposed high speed rail projects competing for $8 billion in federal stimulus funding and you can get a sense of some of the opportunities for Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett. Amtrak has a map showing how its Cascades line from Portland, Ore., to Vancouver, Canada, through Seattle, runs on BNSF track, and the state of Washington has a press release explaining that it has applied for more than $1.3 billion in stimulus funds to develop this service. The press release says that the Washington State Department of Transportation "has been working with the BNSF Railway and others to develop intercity passenger rail service in the Pacific Northwest for over 15 years. This successful partnership has resulted in the delivery of nearly 40 construction projects that have added rail line capacity, improved public safety, relieved rail line congestion, and allowed for faster, more frequent Amtrak Cascades intercity passenger rail service between Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C."